Self-Directed Education
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This month we will talk about anxiety and freedom. Our primary reading to support this discussion is Peter Gray’s newest book, Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety.

In Restoring Childhood, author, researcher, and psychology professor Peter Gray argues that children need something that seems to be missing from modern childhood: the freedom to play, explore, solve problems, and take age-appropriate risks without adults constantly directing them. When we assume children are fragile, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Overprotection leads to increased rates of anxiety and depression in children but, as Restoring Childhood shows, independence builds children’s confidence, resilience, and emotional strength.

What roles do SDE schools and centers play in restoring childhood?

Is our role bigger than being an oasis? How do we actively prepare children for living in a world that devalues play and independence? How do we provide an example of a different approach to schooling? Do we have a responsibility to be more evangelical about our model?

Join us for stories, strategies, and conversation.

Restoring Childhood will be released on September 15th and widely available in print, digital, and audio through libraries and independent booksellers.